Why Is the Word ‘Naked’ So Powerful?
#truth #empowerment
Sometimes people are surprised that my life skills book Naked Determination, 41 Stories About Overcoming Fear has garnered 85 reviews in 24 months. It is a high number. In comparison:
Barbara Bush: 50 (A Memoir) Laura Bush: 281 (Spoken from the Heart) Nancy Reagan: 18 (My Turn: The Memoirs of Nancy Reagan)
Obviously, all these books have been published longer than my own book and thus could have received many more reviews.
When people do articulate surprise, I tell them, “that’s because ‘naked’ is the most powerful quality of the 21st century.”
Why do we perceive reading ‘naked truths’ as empowering?
Because – WE ARE LIED TO OR MISLED, EVERY DAY. And, we know it; we are just too busy to chase down every little detail.
Sometimes, we may not be lied to, but the information we receive is certainly not ‘naked’, ‘obvious’, or ‘easy to perceive’.
Take for instance this bill. As it so happened, I paid one of my utility bills late, by a day or two. I had overlooked it, while being busy with a million things. When I saw the next month’s bill, I was wondering what these ‘One-Time Charges’ were supposed to be.
Note that little sentence at the top ‘details on following pages’. It blends in so nicely, I did not even see it at first glance, or even at second glance...
The ‘One-Time Charges’ are the Late-Fee.
Why is it listed ‘on the following pages’?
The word ‘Late-Fee’ is shorter than the below listed words ‘Current Charges Due By 12/27/13’ thus there would have been enough space to print the word ‘Late-Fee'. It is a clear-cut case of NOT showing naked information.
Obviously, the company cannot lie about what they are charging me. And, it is true, I did pay late. The issue is the amount this company is charging: 25%. That is a steep fee. By putting the detailed description on another page, there is at least a chance that the busy customer (I) will not look at it.
This bill is not ‘naked’.
The same goes for articles and blogs, which just state something, don't give answers, and just create hype. The same is also true for TV-reports, sales pitches, and so on. Typically, details can be found in the fine print or on the ‘following pages’.
Quite simply: Most information we receive is NOT ‘naked’.
It is therefore that reading ‘naked’ truths makes us happy, truly happy. As examples, the titles to the reviews of my life skill book tell how readers feel about NAKED essences:
• Mesmerizing and compelling• Lessons you take with you for REAL!• An Inspiring and Empowering Collection• Refreshing & Honest!• Core truths in plain English
In other words, people perceive ‘naked’ stories (ideally backed up with not-photo shopped pictures) as mesmerizing, inspiring, refreshing.
‘Naked’ is the most empowering word of the 21st century.
~*~
Sometimes people are surprised that my life skills book Naked Determination, 41 Stories About Overcoming Fear has garnered 85 reviews in 24 months. It is a high number. In comparison:
Barbara Bush: 50 (A Memoir) Laura Bush: 281 (Spoken from the Heart) Nancy Reagan: 18 (My Turn: The Memoirs of Nancy Reagan)
Obviously, all these books have been published longer than my own book and thus could have received many more reviews.
When people do articulate surprise, I tell them, “that’s because ‘naked’ is the most powerful quality of the 21st century.”
Why do we perceive reading ‘naked truths’ as empowering?
Because – WE ARE LIED TO OR MISLED, EVERY DAY. And, we know it; we are just too busy to chase down every little detail.
Sometimes, we may not be lied to, but the information we receive is certainly not ‘naked’, ‘obvious’, or ‘easy to perceive’.
Take for instance this bill. As it so happened, I paid one of my utility bills late, by a day or two. I had overlooked it, while being busy with a million things. When I saw the next month’s bill, I was wondering what these ‘One-Time Charges’ were supposed to be.
Note that little sentence at the top ‘details on following pages’. It blends in so nicely, I did not even see it at first glance, or even at second glance...
The ‘One-Time Charges’ are the Late-Fee.
Why is it listed ‘on the following pages’?
The word ‘Late-Fee’ is shorter than the below listed words ‘Current Charges Due By 12/27/13’ thus there would have been enough space to print the word ‘Late-Fee'. It is a clear-cut case of NOT showing naked information.
Obviously, the company cannot lie about what they are charging me. And, it is true, I did pay late. The issue is the amount this company is charging: 25%. That is a steep fee. By putting the detailed description on another page, there is at least a chance that the busy customer (I) will not look at it.
This bill is not ‘naked’.
The same goes for articles and blogs, which just state something, don't give answers, and just create hype. The same is also true for TV-reports, sales pitches, and so on. Typically, details can be found in the fine print or on the ‘following pages’.
Quite simply: Most information we receive is NOT ‘naked’.
It is therefore that reading ‘naked’ truths makes us happy, truly happy. As examples, the titles to the reviews of my life skill book tell how readers feel about NAKED essences:
• Mesmerizing and compelling• Lessons you take with you for REAL!• An Inspiring and Empowering Collection• Refreshing & Honest!• Core truths in plain English
In other words, people perceive ‘naked’ stories (ideally backed up with not-photo shopped pictures) as mesmerizing, inspiring, refreshing.
‘Naked’ is the most empowering word of the 21st century.
~*~
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